Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Interview Preparation Guide

77 Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Questions and Answers:

1 :: Have you ever you have been in a position As Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers where you've had to fire someone? How did you feel about that experience?

Be very thoughtful about your answer. This is a very serious matter for most companies and requires a very serious answer. You need to express that you will do it when it is the right thing to do but you don't want to give the impression that you're callus to the process. Don't forget that firing is not the same as laying someone off - it typically is for the direct benefit of the company.
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2 :: What would you like to avoid completely in your next job As Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers?

Bad business ethics, teammates / managers that are disrespectful / inconsiderate. But of course, this job wouldn't have things like this right?

3 :: How did you become interested in this field/industry?

Describe how you've come to develop a passion or interest in this industry and use variables like "culture, people, vision, career development, and the work itself" to define your choice

4 :: Describe your management style?

Try to avoid specific classifications, whatever it may be. Organizations usually prefer managers who can adapt their skills to different situations.

5 :: Describe some problems you encountered in your most recent position As Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers and how you resolved them?

Discuss your work experiences. The key is to show you're calm under pressure and can handle sensitive situations with a clear train of thought.

6 :: What can you offer us that someone else can not?

Bad Answer: Going negative - if the candidate starts trash talking other candidates, it's a sure sign of a bad attitude. Also, if they can't provide a solid answer, it may show that they lack thorough knowledge of the skills the job requires, and an understanding of where they fit in.

Good answer: The candidate can name specific skills, abilities or understandings they have that apply directly to the job that other candidates are unlikely to have, or are in short supply.

7 :: What do you consider to be your greatest achievement so far and why?

Be proud of your achievement, discuss the results, and explain why you feel most proud of this one. Was it the extra work? Was it the leadership you exhibited? Was it the impact it had?

8 :: Tell me about a difficult decision you've made in the last year As Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers?

We all have difficult decisions in our lives. Show how you were able to arrive at it and then how you decisively acted.

9 :: What do you consider ethical spending on an expense account?

It depends on the role - but the better way to answer this is to ask the interviewer what their expectations are with regards to what the role can expense and then simply state that you'll stay within those parameters

11 :: Explain what are your weaknesses As Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers?

Red flags: This is the peanut butter to the previous question’s jelly. Again, everyone should expect it, so it's a bad sign if someone seems totally unprepared, or gives a stock answer like, "I'm a perfectionist." Also, of course, candidates crazy enough to blurt out some horrible personality trait should go in the red flagged pile.

Good answer: Candidates should talk about a real weakness they've been working on improving. For instance, they're not good at public speaking, but they've been taking a course to help them improve. Or maybe they feel that they're easily distracted when working online, but have installed software that helps them stay on task. Answers like these show a desire for improvement, self awareness and discipline.

12 :: How do you prioritize your work?

Depends on the situation... I like to label certain tasks as either A B or C...A being the one that requires immediate attention, and C which are tasks that aren't urgent but eventually need to get done... I like to focus my work As Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers on the things that need to get done, and done quickly... While balancing the other work alongside our first priorities.

13 :: Give me an example of how you handled pressure at work As Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers?

The company is looking to see if you can handle pressure well. Share with them an example where you were able to stay calm during a pressure filled situation (perhaps it was a deadline, or there was an emergency with a customer occurring). Discuss the situation, your reaction and steps you took to resolve it and the outcome.

14 :: How long do you want to work for us if we hire you?

Here being specific is probably not the best approach. You may consider responding, “I hope a very long time.” Or “As long as we're both happy with my performance.”

15 :: What are the goals you've set for yourself?

You could discuss your goals with regards to these categories: Career goals, impact you want to leave on society, financial goals, academic goals, charitable goals.

16 :: What are your thoughts about working from home?

This is a new policy some companies are adopting. If the company you are interviewing for allows for it, then you should be thankful for the flexibility and convenience yet state that working from home is a privilege that you would honor. The key point you want to make is that you would still be able to focus and be just as productive working at home.

17 :: What would your previous employer say is your greatest strength?

Be prepared for this question. If you have to sit and think about it it's going to appear as if you're not sure or that you've never identified your own value in the work place - not good. You don't have to have a complex response. Keep it simple and honest. For example, several possibilities could be Leadership, Problem solving ability, Initiative, Energy, Work ethic, Innovative, etc., etc.

18 :: Explain me about a problem or disagreement you had with previous supervisor?

This question is trap. It is meant to see whether or not you'll speak poorly of an employer. No one wants to hire someone who's going to speak poorly of them down the road. Stay upbeat and positive - and most of all don't say anything negative about a previous employer.

19 :: What do you ultimately want to become?

Do you want to be an entry level worker As Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers? Do you want to be a leader? Do you want to be an entrepreneur? Do you want to be a philanthropist? Do you want to be in middle management? Ask yourself these questions to figure it out.

20 :: If you felt like you were hitting the proverbial "wall" and getting burned out, what would you do to re-energize yourself?

Take a break to rest. Work in smaller increments of time to increase focus with breaks in between. Delegate tasks to those that are willing to help.
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21 :: Are you able to relocate if required?

Be completely honest and thoughtful with this one. You don't want to wake up one to find out that you're moving to a new city or state and it may be a major factor in your eligibility for employment. But again, if you don't want to move then the job probably isn't for you.

22 :: Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully communicate with another person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa). How did you handle the situation? What obstacles or difficulties did you face? How did you deal with them?

First, the key is to state the differences in personality to give the interviewer some background. Second, you want to discuss how that was affecting the situation. Third, show how you were able to adapt to the way the person wanted to be communicated with to achieve your goals

23 :: Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone's opinion As Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers?

Example stories could be a class project, an internal meeting presentation, or a customer facing presentation.

24 :: What's the difference between good and exceptionally great?

Being good is getting the job done as promised As Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers. Being great is delivering the work in an exceptional way that completely exceeds expectations.

25 :: What did you like least about your last (or current) job As Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers?

Don't vent or focus on the negative with brutally honest answers such as "My boss was a jerk," or "The company culture was too politically correct," or "They just weren't giving me the opportunity to take my career to the next level." Instead, keep the emphasis on the positive, even though there are sure to be things you weren't happy about.

26 :: What have you done to reduce costs, increase revenue, or save time?

Even if your only experience is an internship, you have likely created or streamlined a process that has contributed to the earning potential or efficiency of the practice. Choose at least one suitable example and explain how you got the idea, how you implemented the plan, and the benefits to the practice.

27 :: What type of personalities do you work best with and why?

Think of which personalities you work best with (do you like outgoing, collaborative, personable working relationships and so forth?)

28 :: If you have seven white socks and nine black socks in a drawer, how many socks do you have to pull out blindly in order to ensure that you have a matching pair?

if the first one is one color (say, white), and the second one is the other color (black), then the third one, no matter what the color, will make a matching pair. (Sometimes you're not supposed to think that hard.)

29 :: What qualities do you believe are important to have as a manager?

Great managers tend to empower their employees to be successful through strong coaching. They understand how to manage relationships - this is commonly referred to emotional intelligence. They have to be able to handle both client and staff situations that require them to be calm under pressure to clearly think of solutions to complex problems. Most importantly they must be able to articulate the vision to the team and inspire them to work together to collectively achieve that goal

30 :: What are you passionate about?

Ask yourself - what are your core passions that you wake up excited to act on each and every day? Ask yourself what makes you happy or drives you - is it helping others? Is it making money? Is it creating something? Is it about changing the world? Etc.
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